Alive infant declared dead

IN A bizarre incident, a baby who had been declared stillborn by the doctors at Safdarjung Hospital began to wiggle his limbs and cry one and a half hours later --- just as the family was about to bury him.

IN A bizarre incident, a baby who had been declared stillborn by the doctors at Safdarjung Hospital began to wiggle his limbs and cry one and a half hours later --- just as the family was about to bury him.

For Rakesh Kumar Babbar, an autorickshaw driver in Palwal, and his wife Bharti, the day did not begin well. Early on Friday, barely half an hour after delivery, they were handed the baby's "body" swaddled in clothes.

Before a small, freshly dug grave at Munirka's burial ground, Bharti said she wanted to see her child one last time. It was not to be "one last time". As soon as the bandages were removed, the baby started crying and wiggling.

"Thank God, I did not bury my child alive," says Babbar. "The doctors have not yet explained to us how this happened."

The baby is now in the ICU of Safdarjung Hospital. Doctors say the premature baby weighs 500 gm and has a lung infection. "Babies who are underweight may need help in breathing," says a doctor.

Meanwhile, the hospital had constituted a two-member committee to probe into the matter.

Ravindra Yadav, DCP of southwest, said the Babbars had made a call to the police about the incident but was yet to register a written complaint.